Electric curling iron



July 3, 1928.

NVENTOR `/i @usf JN0/Hau.

vg, a curling iron that lil Effi

rammed July 3, 192s.

UNIT ED STATES 1,615,373@ PATENT @FFI-cn.

AUGUST J. MOTTLAU, or PITTSBURGH, rENNsynvANiA., Assieme Towns'rmenonsn ELECTRIC sa MANUrAcfrUBI-Nef COMPANY, A CORPORATION oFrENNsYLvnNm.

ELLETRIC cURLin-G infin.

Ap'piicatiqn flied Nvmter My invention relates to curling irons 4and particularly to electricallyheated curling irons.

An object of' my inventionV is to provide shall' be operatively flexible, simple in construction and easily manutactured.

Another object ofiny invention is" to provide a curling iron having aftongmember that shall be free' of hair-catching projec# tions and that shall have 'ajsprinv member Whicliserves jointly as a pivot an support for the tong member.

Another ob]ect ofmy invention is top rof-` vide a tong member fora curling ironwhicli shall have its pivot point rmovedfrom the transverse axisV of heating member whereby the tong member may be moved about said pivot substantially parallelwvitli said tong member throughout itsy working movement.

ln the accompanying ydra-Wings,

Fig."1 is a v'ie\v,1in side elevation, of 'a curling lirofn einbodying'my invention, amember tliereorf'beihg shown partially in longitudinal section.

Fig. 2 is a; view,` `in cross section taken on thelin'e Hell, ofthedevice illil'strated in Fig. 1 Fig.7 3 is aA view, in crossfsection talenh `along the line III-#Ingolf the device-'illns`` trated'in Fig.V 1, f

Fig. l. is a side View of. the/spring for supporting the tong r rieinli`=.r,.` Fig. 5 is a partial viewshovvinga modiicationof a port-ion of the device illustratedA 111 Fig. 1. j

Fig. "G is a vie'v'v` insection taken lon 'the line VIVl of the `device illustrated`- in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 illustrates a modiiied form of ep ring' for I supporting the tong member, and Fig. 8 is an assembled vievv ofthe` modi'- iications shevvn in` Figs. 5, 6 ,and .7.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1,al

curling iron devicellcomprises arelatively stationary cylindrical member 12 anvil a member 13 that is movable With respect to Arespectively the` member 12,

The `stati `inary member 12." comprisesa `tubular casing 14, a

to said errnle and a heatingfelement 17 disposed `Within the tubular caslng 14;

thumb rest 21 attached v be inserted.

errule 15 attached to one end thereof, a handle portion 16 secured' 14, i925; serial N6. tana?.

to tile' lever `end of said tono rivets 22. The' casing member 14 is hollow and closed at outer end. The inner end is open morder to permit the heating element 17 to The ferrule member 15 is formed from a thin sheet of steel or of soft metal snchasv brass, a process of pressing and" drawing ina suitable die thereby forming a hollow cylinder `havinga depressed end portion-23.

slot 221` and a holeQ are punched in the portion to receive the tubular member 14" and lthe spring member 19', respectively. The handle 16`i't`s tightljy into the open end"` of4 the ei'rule '1"5:

rials such as hard rubberr fiber may,7 be

used. The portmngrbr` the handle 164exterdi mfg outwardly from the ferrnle 15 fis of bottle shape.` The neckl portion27 "thereof serves toeimit the `operator of the curling irontb obtain a fgoodg'riptlrereon, andthe flange 28-at the tep portion of 1Asaid""neel1` serves as a stop for the ferrnle 15. y

The handle member 16 4ishollow"toiconstitute recesses 29,30an'd 31, `aslis indicated by the broken lines.

The hollow portion129, 31 is larger than` the recess "31 extending towards the ferrul'e 15f'inA order that a swivel" plug (not shown)T may be `iirserted to engage a pair o terminals32`an'd 33. lAil opening Sli-extendable I erallyj into the hollow portion ofthe handle infrder that'a screw` member 35L may be inserted therein toenga e a collar 36 whichf 1s at'tecliedl to` the heat element 17. A

rectangular opening 37 "and a circular open*- ing* 3 8 which is concentric with the lon-` Uitndinal axis of` the handle 17, are located Witlithe slot 24 and the holefl.`

The heat-ing element 17 extends into ther tnbnliir Acasing member 14; andis eleictrically` insiilateijl therefrom. The termi nal members g'iahdl for the Aelement 17 `are located` in the liolliv portion of the handle and are coni'iected to ends of `the heating eleinent17. The terminal 33 is showvn'in-enlarged sectbn infFigs. 2, dand- 6* and. is shown broken lines in Fig: 1. Theter-` minaljfQ as nillustrated inFig. 1,.is concentric with the terminal 33. Ast-he particular construction of the terminals and the heating element torni no part of my invention, it

`11i` theffer'rule end thereof and correspond g5" is deemed not necessary to describe them further in detail.

The tong member 18 is of U-shape in cross-section and the lever end 39 thereof is formed by making two elbow bends at 40 and 41 therein. The U section is deepest over the portion which registers with the tubular member 14 and becomes gradually shallower at the lever end 39.

The spring member 19 illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4 is of L-shape and is made preferably from thin strap spring steel. The ferrule end 42 of the spring 19 is bent whereby a resilient press lit is obtained when said spring member is registered with the rec tangular hole 37 in the handle 16 and the slot 24 located in the ferrule 15. The riv ets 22 secure 4the spring 19 to the tong member 18. Y

The spring 19 is so shaped that the tong engagesvthe tubular member 14 at the outer end only. Since the spring member 19 supports the tong 18 and also serves as a pivot around which said tong 18 turns, the tong member is substantially parallel with respect to the tubular member throughout the operating movement of the tong. Parallel motion is effected because the point 43 of greatest flexure of the spring is located away from the longitudinal and transverse axes of the tubular member 14 and also because the tong is not quite parallel with the member 14 when they are in engagement as shown in Fig. 1.

Relative parallel motion is an advantage, because when the tong member 18 is out of engagement with the member 14 and in position to permit hair to be placed between them in position for curling, and even pressure thereon is effected when the tong is released to approach the closed position as illustrated in Fig. 1. The tong member is detached from the curling iron proper by merely sliding the spring 19 out of the slot 24.

In Figs. 5, 6,7 and 8, I have shown modiications of certain of the details of the device of Fig. 1. The ferrule 44 has an integral outwardly extending portion 45 n wherein the spring member 46, illustrated in Fig. 7, is located when the tong member 18 is in its operative position. The spring member 46 is made of strap spring steel bent to conform to the general shape of the tong 18, and is attached to the tong member in the same manner as is the spring member 19 illustrated in Fig. 1. The tong member illustrated in Fig. 8 is attached to the curling iron proper by registering the` spring member 46 with the ferrule 44. Entrance of the spring 46 into the ferrule 44 is made from the handle side thereof through an opening 47. The point of greatest iiexure of the spring member 46 is lo .cated approximately at the point 48.

The thumb rest 21 is made of a heat insulating material such as fiber or bakelite and is attached to the lever portion 49 of the tong 18 by the rivets 2Q. It is rectangular in shape and has suicient surface to insure ample bearing area for the operators thumb and has suffiicent thickness to prevent the surface thereof from attaining a high temperature. v

My invention provides a curling iron having a tubular member, a ferrule attached to one end thereof and a handle portion secured to the ferrule and a detachable tong member which may be secured to the ferrule by reason of a. spring which is attached to the tona member. The spring serves as a means fior holding the tong to the curling iron proper and also serves as a yielding connection thereto by means of which the tong member may be moved substantially parallel relatively to the tubular member.

Various other modifications of my invention may be made without departing from the principle and scope thereof. I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, in a curling iron, a tubular member, a tong member co-operating therewith and a spring member for` pivotally supporting and biasing said tong memer to operatively engage said tubular mem- 2. In combination, in a curling iron, a tubular member having a ferrule at oneend thereof, a tong member co-operating with said tubular member and a spring member connected to said tong member and to said ferrule and constituting the sole support for the tong member.

3. In combination, in a curling iron, a tubular member, a tongwmember co-operating therewith, a resilient means constituting the sole support for said tong member, said resilient means being effective to yieldingly retain the tong member in operative relation with said tubular member.

4. In a curling iron, in combination, an electric heating element, a tubular member for enclosing said electric heating element, a ferrule secured thereto, a tong cooperating with said tubular member, and a removable resilient tong-supporting member operatively connected to said ferrule and constituting the sole support for the tong.

5. In a curling iron, in combination, a tubular member having a heating element therein, a ferrule secured to one end thereof and having an aperture therein, a handle operatively associated with said ferrule and having terminals for said heating element enclosed therein, a tong cooperating with the tubular member, and a spring member for movably supporting the tong member and liu) l the tong member, the pivot portion of said for yieldingly pressing the tong member against the tubular member, said spring member being resiliently and frietionally engaged with the aforesaid aperture.

6. In a curling iron, in combination, a tubular member, a errule secured to one end thereof and havingvan aperture therein, a handle associated with said ferrule, a tong cooperating With said tubular member, and a spring member for pivotally supporting spring member being removed from the longitudinal axis of said tubular member whereby the tong may be moved about said pivot portion to effect substantially parallel motion between the tong and the tubular member throughout the normal Working range of said tong.

7. A curling iron comprising a stationary member, a ferrule thereon having an aperture extending longitudinally therein, a movable tong member, and a spring secured to the tong member and adapted to be received in the aperture in the ferrule.

8. In combination," in a Curling iron, an elongated cylinder, a fer-rule having an apen ture extending parallel with the major axis of said cylinder, a tong, a handle engaging said ferrule, and a spring member having a portion extending into said aperture and having another portion secured to the tong and eonstitutingy the sole pivotal support` therefor.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 29th day of October, 1925.

AUGUST J. MOTTLAU. 

